|
Scott Engel takes a tour around the NFL to review nuggets of fantasy wisdom for your reading enjoyment.
I just returned from ArenaBowl XXII in New Orleans. One of the most moving moments was watching Philadelphia Soul president and NFL legend Ron Jaworski let his emotions spill over at the post game press conference. He was clearly overcome with a mixture of deep feelings, as he brought the city its first pro title since the Moses Malone and Julius Erving-led 76ers dominated their sport in 1983.  | | No need to feel like you're Livin' on a Prayer: Ron Jaworski (first on left) won his own trophy in the AFL and has advice on how you can win a trophy, too. Photo Credit LTW - RotoExperts.com |
Prior to the game, Jaworski, who could barely contain his glee at being on the verge of seeing his still-young franchise take the Foster ArenaBowl Trophy, took some time to discuss the upcoming fantasy football season. We all know that no one breaks down film like "Jaws" does, and he has long been an enthusiastic and well-informed supporter of our favorite game. "For the first time, I'm thinking quarterbacks will go early," Jaworski said. "In the past, you saw a lot of running back/running back in the early rounds, but after looking at what Tom Brady did last year and how Peyton Manning performs every season, I'm expecting that some will go for their running backs a little later on." Jaworski also gave his predictions on his top breakout player and a guy who may start to dip in value. "Jonathan Stewart is going to be a terrific fantasy running back, especially when you consider what John Fox likes to do. He wants to play good defense and run the ball. Terrell Owens won’t necessarily be a bust, but he doesn't appeal to me quite as much as he used to. He's a guy who drops the ball, and with the addition of Felix Jones, You're also going to see Dallas run the ball a lot more this season,." Jaworski said, noting that Dallas now has two running backs who can really drive the offense. The Texans signed Mike Bell after the Broncos cut him loose. I would certainly consider Bell in the final rounds, or at least watch him closely as a possible free-agent pickup during the season. Most of us don't trust Ahman Green, with good reason, and Chris Brown has already missed time in camp. Rookie Steve Slaton is only suitable to be a complementary back, so if and when Green and Brown need to be replaced, Bell could get a real solid shot to start for Houston. The fact that the Texans added Bell signifies they are indeed concerned about their RB situation. No need to feel like you are Livin' on a Praver: Ron Jaworski (first on left) won his own trophy in the AFL, and has advice on how you can win a trophy, too. The Houston Chronicle reported that Andre Johnson, who is on the road back from arthroscopy knee surgery, has been practicing in camp without any restrictions. Johnson has reportedly looked very good, and there is little doubt of what he can accomplish fantasy-wise if he stays healthy, as the Houston QBs sure look much better than David Carr used to. I don't think much of the LaMont Jordan signing by New England. If he even makes the team, he may be used as a change of pace back, according to the Boston Globe. That seems like the best-case scenario. I'm fully on board with Laurence Maroney having a big breakthrough season. Jordan was added strictly for depth, and he still has to prove himself in camp first, too. San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan told the Press Democrat that there is now an open competition in camp between three quarterbacks for the starting job. J.T. O'Sullivan has started taking reps with the first-team offense as Shaun Hill rests a "tired" shoulder. O'Sullivan was a backup under Mike Martz in Detroit and knows the system, and it would not be surprising to see him get playing time over Hill and Alex Smith at any point. I still favor Hill in this race, but either he or O'Sullivan could become respectable fantasy backup material this season. The Buffalo News reported that Trent Edwards and rookie James Hardy have already been working on fade routes in the red zone in camp. Hardy will get a lot of looks in goal-line packages and on key passing downs as a rookie. He'll command some defensive respect even if he is not consistent, and he will help take some pressure off Lee Evans, allowing the team's No. 1 WR to post better numbers than he did during a mostly disappointing 2007 season. Reports out of Tampa Bay indicate that Jon Gruden is giving a long look to two other running backs besides Earnest Graham. Warrick Dunn and Michael Bennett are being worked to determine how they figure into the picture, and while Graham remains the best fantasy choice on the team, there is a real chance he could end up sharing some touches. Graham is tough and should get a lot of goal-line carries, but he is not explosive. That's where Dunn or Bennett could come into the game to keep defenses off balance. Ultimately, though, I believe Graham will still produce well enough to be a solid fantasy RB2. Many fantasy players don't seem to have much faith in LenDale White, but Jeff Fisher told the Titans' official site that the team plans to lean heavily on him this year. "He’s stronger. He’s hitting the holes better. I expect more production out of him throughout the course of the season,” Fisher said. Rookie Chris Johnson is having a good camp, but he will only serve as a complementary RB at best, and I'm not expecting him to unseat White at any point this year. White will actually be a solid fantasy RB2.
Michael Pittman has been getting some work at backup fullback in camp and has also fumbled as a halfback. Mike Shanahan has a very short fuse when it comes to fumbling, so Pittman needs to watch over his shoulder to make sure sleeper rookie Ryan Torain doesn’t pass him on the depth chart any time soon.
Lions rookie Kevin Smith has looked good in blitz pickups early in camp, according to MLive.com. If Smith can quickly learn to handle such duties at the NFL level, it only gives him an edge over Tatum Bell in the race for playing time at RB. Smith looks like a good bet to win the job, but he also won't be a regularly effective inside runner, so he may be statistically inconsistent. THIS WEEK'S FANTASY FOOTBALL MAGAZINE REVIEW
If you're still pretty new to Fantasy Football, or if you want to give a friend a good introduction to the game, the NFL.com Fantasy Football 2008 Preview is the answer. It includes great basic, informative pieces for the newbie, including columns about how less-experienced fantasy players handle new challenges. It has a "tales of a fantasy rookie," and there's also a very interesting read from longtime NFL Insider Vic Carruci, who chronicles his first experiences with fantasy, particularly how he handled taking on some other formidable opponents. Such angles give great insight on why newcomers should play and what they can expect. There's also some great positional trend insights from Gil Brandt, the former Dallas Cowboys vice president of player personnel. All player scouting reports are done by Michael Fabiano, a longtime fantasy veteran, who is one of the hardest workers in the biz. The mag may have an apparent link to the league, but it is objective and informative, and it also realizes its place in your draft prep scheduling, as Senior Editor Craig Ellenport comes up with some great places to read the publication when you can't be online. MAILBAG
From Michael DeAngelo: I'm in a PPR league with 10 teams. It's a standard format with two RBs/threeWRs/one flex. We get to keep two players each. The cost is whatever their market value is as set by Fantasyauctioneer.com average on Aug 1. I already know I'm keeping Steven Jackson and I'm deciding between Braylon Edwards and Reggie Bush.
My Angles: As of July 31, Jackson was at $68 on Fantasy Auctioneer, with Edwards at $39 and Bush at $31. While that is a fine price for a terrific PPR player like Bush, you already have one guy to anchor your RB position. Edwards has clearly become an elite fantasy WR already, and you can’t let him go back into the player pool. With a basis of Jackson and Edwards heading into the next draft, you're already off to a great start on your way to building a winner for 2008 and beyond. Scott Engel was a founding member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Executive Committee. E-mail Scott at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
 |
Football 
Subscribe to this comment's feed